economyhttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/7678/all
enCoke, Chrysler, Walmart Lean Into Larger Causeshttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/coke-chrysler-walmart-lean-larger-causes-152922
Andrew McMains<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/joe-tripodi-hed-2013.jpg"> <p>
The concept of brand values&mdash;as in selling something bigger than soda, cars and clothes&mdash;has been a recurring theme today at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference.</p>
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Marketing chiefs at Coca-Cola, Chrysler and Walmart all espoused the virtues of connecting to larger social issues, be it obesity, the economic recovery or the needs of military veterans. And while the impulse of such companies to do good is high-minded, it&#39;s also practical: Consumers, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/do-make-college-kids-remember-your-ad-152662" target="_blank">particularly millennials</a>, value companies that give back.</p>
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For Coke, that means acknowledging the problem of obesity and giving consumers less sugary options, such as Diet Coke, said Joseph Tripodi, the company&#39;s chief commercial and marketing officer. Tripodi spoke for nearly an hour on how Coke has engaged millennials around the world in the spirit of the brand&#39;s tagline of &quot;Open happiness.&quot; And when ANA chief Bob Liodice asked about his core message to other marketers, Tripodi replied, &quot;Have an optimistic view of the world and in everything you do, look for how you can ... do the best for the world as opposed to being the best in the world.&quot;</p>
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Similarly, Chrysler chief marketing officer Olivier Francois showed ads that eschewed product benefits and instead inserted the company into national conversations about the economy&mdash;particularly as it relates to Chrysler&#39;s U.S. headquarters in Detroit&mdash;and the return of military veterans to America. Looking back on the success of ads like &quot;Born of Fire&quot; and &quot;It&#39;s Halftime in America,&quot; Francois said, &quot;I saw that America had a story that was bigger than any cup holder.&quot; More succinctly, he said he wanted to sell products through a brand instead of a brand through products.</p>
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Walmart cmo Stephen Quinn framed the need to lean into social currents in statistical terms, noting that 60 percent of America&#39;s families live on 25 percent of America&#39;s income. That fact alone has informed the retailer&#39;s ongoing push to highlight the per person savings of shopping at Walmart. And like Chrysler, Walmart has embraced veterans, hiring 13,000 in the past few years with a goal of employing 100,000 vets in five years. As Quinn explained, &quot;If you fought, you shouldn&#39;t have to fight for a job.&quot;</p>
Advertising & BrandingANA Masters of Marketin conferencebrand valuesChryslerCoca-ColaeconomyAndrew McMainslarger causesmilitary veteransMillennialsObesityolivier francoisStephen QuinnWalmartFri, 04 Oct 2013 21:30:39 +0000152922 at http://www.adweek.comLingerie Celebrates Japan's Plan to Stimulate Growthhttp://www.adweek.com/adfreak/lingerie-celebrates-japans-plan-stimulate-growth-149468
Rebecca Cullers<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/blogs/abenomics_bra.jpg"> <p>
Triumph, a marvelously named Swiss-owned women&rsquo;s clothier in Japan, has unveiled its annual concept bra, which might just be the first economics-themed lingerie. The Abenomics Bra, named after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe&#39;s &ldquo;three arrow&rdquo; economic plan to achieve 2 percent inflation, aims to <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/08/us-japan-bra-idUSBRE94705H20130508" target="_blank">grow bust sizes with 2 percent extra padding</a>. The golden bra features ceremonial Shinto arrows and is paired with a skirt adorned with a target. According to Triumph&rsquo;s lovely model in the video below, &ldquo;If a woman thinks she looks beautiful, she will work harder. And that will surely increase inflation and boost the economy. Right?&rdquo; I&rsquo;m sure there&rsquo;s some evidence that attractive bras stimulate growth, but it&#39;s probably not the kind Prime Minister Abe is aiming for.</p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DBSFXyjRqms?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
Advertising & BrandingAsiaeconomyJapanLingerieRetailMon, 13 May 2013 13:22:36 +0000149468 at http://www.adweek.comVoice: The Connected Protagonist http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/voice-connected-protagonist-144439
Jon Hamm<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/voice-connected-protagonist-hed-2012.jpg"> <p>
The fusion of the social economy and the digital communications world has created an environment from which a new generation of consumer&mdash;the Connected Protagonist&mdash;has emerged.</p>
<p>
You know these people, and are likely one yourself. But since they are redefining the role that brands can play in the lives of their consumers, let&rsquo;s have a formal introduction. Connected Protagonists are aggressive consumers who have a full quiver of content and communications tools that give them the unprecedented ability to bend their world to their wants and needs.</p>
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Certainly their connected trait is indisputable. These consumers are always on, and technology functions almost as their sixth sense and is as much a part of them as their sense of smell. Being in constant contact is intrinsic to the way they interact with the world.</p>
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Their role of protagonist is slightly more complicated but in many ways equally central in understanding how they tick. Put simply, they see themselves as the leading man or woman in their own epic narrative&mdash;the main protagonist in the unfolding drama centered on their lives.</p>
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This is not a new attribute; it&rsquo;s been inherent in humans ever since we gained consciousness and self-awareness. But the fusion with hyperconnectivity has fundamentally changed the game. The internal dialogue has become one that is shared with the world. The story now has a stage and an audience.</p>
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Connected Protagonists also understand their relationship with this audience in a complex, developed way. They strategically share specific content with various audiences in order to present slightly different versions of themselves to each.</p>
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In fact, their content&mdash;the activities they participate in, the knowledge they have, the connections they make and the things that entertain them&mdash;shapes their personal story arc and defines who they are and how they are perceived by the world.</p>
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As a result, Connected Protagonists&rsquo; content management is far from arbitrary. These behaviors are curated through a well-crafted strategic lens nurtured in a world where branding and marketing is part of cultural life.</p>
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Their &ldquo;Brand Me&rdquo; is as well-crafted, defined and guarded as that of the brands that try to reach them with messages about what cars to buy or what detergent to use. So while they use content to present different versions of themselves to a variety of audiences, they remain true and consistent to their brand and authentic to their values&mdash;even if these are adjusted for multiple audiences.</p>
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So we have a highly strategic, content-hungry consumer. What does this mean for brands and marketing?</p>
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From a creative point of view, this is the most exciting time, as this consumption and distribution of content by Connected Protagonists is voracious and constant. They are always seeking the new, and because the value of content diminishes so quickly, it means each day starts with a blank slate. For agencies, this means the work we do has no predetermined output. The idea literally has no boundaries.</p>
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This exciting challenge also provides brands with new opportunities to build new, valued and sustainable relationships each and every day&mdash;as long as they understand a few simple things.</p>
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First, brands must understand that Connected Protagonists &ldquo;own&rdquo; their own audience and the right to communicate with them. Additionally, the dynamic of &ldquo;brand to audience&rdquo; has shifted to &ldquo;brand to Connected Protagonist to audience.&rdquo;</p>
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To benefit from this shift brands must also ask themselves whether they are creating something that will add true authentic value to someone&rsquo;s story because that really is the new standard. To reach this and deliver truly participatory, enlightening, entertaining and connected story lines that have authentic value for the Connected Protagonists&rsquo; &ldquo;Brand Me,&rdquo; brands must be willing to be co-creators and inventors beyond their role as marketers.</p>
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Get this right and the opportunity for brands and marketing is immense. The role of brands may have changed from star to supporting actor, but by playing a real part in the story of people&rsquo;s lives, true authentic value, and returns, will follow.</p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnologyInteractiveMarketingConnected ProtagonisDataJon HammhyperconnectivityOnlineSocialsocialVideoMon, 15 Oct 2012 04:01:00 +0000144439 at http://www.adweek.comMarketers and Agencies Split on 2012 Prospectshttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/marketers-and-agencies-split-2012-prospects-137385
Andrew McMains<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/tt-marketers-2011.jpg"> <p>
Marketing leaders&mdash;in contrast to their more buoyant agency brethren&mdash;generally seem more cautious than optimistic about growth in the new year. And, of course, who would know better than those who control the purse strings?</p>
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The <a href="http://www.rswus.com/survey/2012-rswus-new-year-outlook-survey" target="_blank">latest illustration of the disconnect between marketers and agencies</a> regarding the industry&rsquo;s prospects for 2012 is a new poll from RSW/US in which a greater percentage of agency types than marketers predict growth in the economy and marketer spending.</p>
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When asked, for example, if the economy is on the uptick, 65 percent of the 114 agencies that participated said yes, compared to just 41 percent of the 100-plus marketers. Also, the percentage of marketers who answered no (35 percent) was more than twice that of agencies (17 percent). The marketers included Pfizer, Reckitt Benckiser, Frontier Airlines and 1-800-Flowers, and agencies McCann Erickson, Ogilvy &amp; Mather, StruckAxiom and Slingshot.</p>
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Given that 2011 represented improvement from 2010, some shops feel that the growth spurt can only continue, said Mark Sneider, president of RSW/US, a Cincinnati-based consultancy. But with so many factors beyond their control&mdash;including unemployment, real estate stagnation, the European contagion and rising commodity costs&mdash;such expectations appear unrealistic. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s some irrational enthusiasm that may be going on with some agencies, and it needs to be tempered somewhat,&rdquo; Sneider told <em>Adweek</em>. &ldquo;Maybe they&rsquo;re wearing the rose-colored glasses because they&rsquo;re forgetting where they came from.&rdquo;</p>
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Not all agency CEOs are that upbeat, however. Some, including Deutsch/LA CEO Mike Sheldon and Merkley CEO Alex Gellert, recently predicted lumpy, uneven industry growth at best. Their forecasts are more in line with the sentiments of marketing executives like Frances Allen at Denny&rsquo;s and Tim Van Hoof at State Farm.</p>
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In separate interviews, Van Hoof said State Farm&rsquo;s 2012 media spend would be &ldquo;consistent&rdquo; with last year&rsquo;s, and Allen said Denny&rsquo;s&rsquo; would be just a bit higher. What&rsquo;s more, Allen attributed the increase to inflation in media prices, not an influx of new dollars.</p>
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&ldquo;With TV cost inflation in double digits, I actually think Optimedia has done a great job of negotiating for us for 2012,&rdquo; said Allen, Denny&rsquo;s CMO. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s still significantly more expensive than in 2011.&rdquo; Full-year media spending totals for 2011 are not yet available from Nielsen. But in the first 10 months, Denny&rsquo;s had spent more than $52 million and State Farm about $425 million. (The totals for the restaurant and insurance brands in 2010 were $66 million and $455 million, respectively.) Those figures don&rsquo;t include online spending.</p>
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The generally lower expectations for the year among marketers also is consistent with the findings of another new poll, from AdMedia Partners, an M&amp;A firm in New York. In December, AdMedia questioned more than 7,300 leaders at marketing and media companies, and 57 percent said they expected this year&rsquo;s economy to be about the same as last year&rsquo;s. Also, the percentage of respondents who expected improvement (36 percent) declined markedly from last year (58 percent).</p>
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The good news? Only 7 percent think the economy will weaken. Indeed, whether you feel rosy or cautious about the ad marketplace, the conversation still pivots around growth. And that&rsquo;s certainly an improvement from the worst of the recession in 2008.</p>
Advertising & BrandingAccountsMarketingCommerceeconomyRSW/USAndrew McMainsMon, 09 Jan 2012 06:15:34 +0000137385 at http://www.adweek.com